


Diamond in the Rough

by darkness_prince_dan



Series: Diamonds&Gold [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M, Phan AU, Phan Angst, Phan Fluff, Phan Smut, Phanfiction, basically the holy trinity of any fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 23:40:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4499208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkness_prince_dan/pseuds/darkness_prince_dan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan’s a con artist who doesn’t let his emotions get in the way of his job but the universe decides to screw him over by sending a charming man his way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diamond in the Rough

**Author's Note:**

> Don't even get me started on how many hours it took me to write a single smut scene... Damn, those are difficult...

New York is the city of opportunities. Here a simple girl from the countryside can turn into a world famous model, a boy who all his life has been involved with gangs can turn his life around and major in medicine, an immigrant can become a revered artist when in her homeland she was mocked for choosing an impractical career, and a British guy who’s on the run from mobsters stationed in London can make himself disappear in the sea of eight million people. The latter might also refine his con artist skills by meeting a myriad of rich people, finding out how they tick and what the best way to trick them into giving him some of their fortune is. He might also start running several successful scams which pay for his lavish living. Yes, New York is a place where dreams come true.

Galas, charity events, award ceremonies, openings of restaurants and galleries are only few of the places to search for a good con candidate. When people are pleasantly buzzing with alcohol, Dan finds it easy to convince them of the necessity to invest in his make belief organization. It is even better when the same people share a secret or two and pay quite a hefty sum for those not to go public. Working up close is rather dangerous, you can never know who might recognise you and out you to the whole room. However, Dan likes this personal job style; it makes his heart flutter with the dose of adrenalin and his brain work on every possible scenario of how things could go wrong and the solution for every such problem.

Tonight, however, the chance of him getting caught is minimal. He’s providing live music by playing the piano in some gallery in Brooklyn. Dan rarely visits this neighbourhood and he doubts any of his upper class targets would come here either. The gallery is not big and features aspiring artists. It’s the opening night but there aren’t many people. Dan doubts that there ever will be. For such businesses to work one needs influential friends and rich customers, the gallery’s owner has neither. Except, of course, for Dan’s newest target.

The guy’s name is Phil. He’s gloriously rich, handsome, and, luckily for Dan, prefers men. Jasmine, Dan’s only friend and partner in crime, says that if Dan could tie the knot with this Phil, he’d be set for life and could put the con days behind him. However, Dan’s not too sure he wants to settle down yet. Especially, with a guy he’s never even met. So his tactic for tonight is the usual one: charm the guy and get into his flat to see what valuables or secrets he’s got hidden.

According to the info Dan managed to get on this guy, Phil owns a highly profitable tech company among others, he’s got a degree in IT and physics and another one in business, his investments and risks pay off greatly, and he’s on the list of the most successful people in the world. All this means that he won’t be easy to fool but Dan likes a challenge. However, personal details are more important to Dan because they help him determine the play he wants to use on his target. Fortunately, Phil’s single but, unfortunately, he lives in London. He’s in New York only for a couple of months so Dan will have to work fast which he doesn’t like much because rich people are careful with their money and secrets, and Dan doubts he’ll be able to make Phil trust him in such a short time. Better news is that Phil does a lot of charity work and he’s extremely interested in art and artists. So if Dan’s blackmail plan doesn’t work out, maybe his investment scam will. For that to work, though, he’s got to make some groundwork first. That is why he came to the gallery’s opening not as a guest but as a poor musician who makes ends meet doing gigs like this.

Dan nods his head not ceasing playing as a woman puts a dollar bill in his tip jar. If he were a real struggling artist, he’d starve to death based on the sum the gallery is paying him and the amount of tips he’s getting. That’s not the goal of tonight, however. The main objective is to attract Phil Lester’s attention and make him approach Dan first. Rich people feel safer that way, they don’t get worried you’re interested only in their money if they are the ones to show interest in you.

Dan’s been playing for an hour when he first spots Lester. He’s got his hair pushed back unlike in the photos Dan saw of him and he’s wearing a suit. He looks really sexy in Dan’s eyes, and the brunet smirks to himself, he loves his job. Better yet, Lester glances at him curiously and noticing Dan’s smile he grins in response. Dan glances back at the keys mock embarrassed for being caught staring and hears a giggle. _Good_ , he thinks,  _Lester’s_   _hooked_. For the upcoming hour Dan keeps throwing glances at the black-haired man, adding a smile and biting his lip for good measure. The response he gets is rather encouraging and Dan can’t imagine the night going any better.

After two hours of playing, Dan finally gets a break. His fingers are numb and his ass hurts for sitting in the same spot for so long. Lester is nowhere to be seen but the gallery has several rooms and judging by the flirty looks he got, he’s not really worried that the man has left. To distract himself, Dan walks around appreciating the paintings. He has to admit that they’re not that bad and rather regrets that more people didn’t come to admire the artwork.

A particular painting catches his eye and he stops in front of it. The canvas is mainly all blacks, dark blues and greys with a few specks of gold, red and lilac. Dan has no idea why it’s so fascinating to him but he stands there contemplating for a few good minutes.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Someone asks in wonderment standing behind him. “Makes you think about life for some reason.”

“Yeah,” Dan answers. “How it’s all bleak without any prospects, mostly,” he shares his ideas.

Then he turns to the guy and nearly laughs out loud.

“Hi,” Philip Lester smiles at him. “I’m Phil.”

“I’m Dan,” the brunet says returning the smile and thanking his lucky stars.

“You’ve got quite a dark attitude to life, Dan,” Phil muses coming to stand closer to him and studying the painting.

“Do I?” Dan raises an eyebrow.

Phil nods and hums his agreement.

“You know what I think when I look at this?” He asks glancing at Dan.

“What?” Dan asks genuinely interested. It’s rare for him to discuss art and life with the people he scams and he’s got no one else to talk about this so he jumps at the occasion.

“That even on the worst days there’s a possibility for joy,” Phil answers, his tone is soft and his smile gentle. At this moment Dan admires him more than the artwork.

“How so?” The brunet asks; Phil’s philosophy clashes with his own, it catches Dan’s attention.

“Have you ever had someone who made you laugh after you’ve admitted to them a secret you harboured your whole life and cried your eyes out about it? Have you been absolutely devastated and this one person just makes your day by simply staying in the same room as you while you mope around? That’s what those bright spots symbolise to me,” Phil looks at him a moment and then focuses his attention back to the painting. “The time I was lost and one conversation with a friend got me back on track,” he points to the gold speck. “The time I didn’t believe I could achieve what I want and all I needed was someone believing in me,” he indicates the red fleck. “The time everyone had left me but this one person always stayed by my side,” he points to the lilac. “Life might seem like a dark vastness of sadness and failure but there are always people who can make it better.”

“What if you have no genuine people in your life?” Dan wonders both fascinated and saddened by Phil’s explanation.

“You must have something else. Music, for example,” he grins at Dan, his tongue poking out.

Dan smiles and bites his lip looking back at the painting and thinking over what Phil’s said. He really didn’t anticipate having such a conversation tonight. Deep and meaningful ideas are mostly reserved only for him alone to think over at three a.m. when he can’t sleep and is wracked by guilt of what he’s doing with his life. He rather expected some simple flirtation in order to get into Phil’s flat. But he’s gotten more than he bargained for and actually started appreciating Phil’s views on life. He’d love to hear him talk more about it and question him on other topics.

“You play beautifully, by the way,” Phil compliments Dan, surprising him further and making him blush slightly and cast his glance down. “You’re brilliant, really. I haven’t heard someone play with so much passion and love before.”

“Thank you,” Dan near whispers caught off-guard. Usually, guys and girls are more interested in Dan’s appearance and his sexuality than in his talents. Not that anyone has the chance to hear him play; it’s another one of his alone time activities. “Have you found anything that you like?” He changes the topic, glancing at the other paintings. Dan doesn’t really like when the attention focuses on him on a personal level. He’d gladly lie about a persona he invented but talking about the real him makes him uncomfortable.

Phil studies him intently for a few seconds before answering his question.

“Not yet,” he says. “I found someone I like, however,” he adds winking at Dan and smirking.

“Oh,” is all that slips off Dan’s tongue. Phil’s totally screwing with him for some reason because Dan’s never met such a straightforward millionaire. It throws Dan off his game since he had this whole elaborate plan for seducing Phil and this conversation is not going how Dan expected.

“Have I read you wrong?” Phil asks suddenly concerned. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, no,” Dan shakes his head smiling and finally understanding why Phil seems so interested in Dan’s body language. “It’s just, none of the guys I dated have been millionaires,” he lies and then nearly smacks himself for what he’s said. “Not that we’d date or anything,” he tries to fix it quickly running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I’m not usually this embarrassing,” he mutters biting his lip; he’s reminded of when he was a teen and tried to chat up his crush, it went as well as this is going.

“Don’t apologise,” Phil’s smiling brightly and genuinely and Dan guesses that maybe he’s not doing as bad as he thinks. “I think you look cute all flustered.”

“Um, thanks,” Dan stumbles over the word. He’s been called hot, sexy and a nice piece of ass but never cute. Phil is absolutely not what Dan thought he’d be.

“How did you end up in New York? That should be an interesting story,” he uses Dan’s tactic of deflecting so as not to reveal too much about himself.

A thought that maybe Phil’s figured out what’s really happening here crosses Dan’s mind. But that’s ridiculous. How could Phil get onto Dan’s scam? He’s probably just being careful.

“It is pretty interesting,” the brunet plays along feeling more like his usual self. “Maybe I could tell you about it later tonight?” Dan suggests not even trying to hide the meaning.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Phil smiles at him.

Dan grins back; he’s got him hooked. And if he’s hooked himself, he doesn’t dwell on that fact long.

The rest of the night passes with Dan playing the piano for the few dollars they pay him and him exchanging flirty looks and smiles with Phil. They chat more too. Dan finds out that Phil’s a fan of acoustic music and that he finds guys able to play instruments extremely attractive; the brunet smiles at that and congratulates himself for choosing the right play. Phil doesn’t share anything shocking, not that Dan assumed he would on the first night they met. The bad thing, however, is that Phil seems to not have any bad or dangerous habits at all and he doesn’t seem like the type to hide something gruesome and worth blackmailing. Maybe Dan can spin this the other way, though. Maybe Phil’s got something expensive and illegal in his flat that Dan could steal and Phil couldn’t report to the police. Or maybe he’s got some company secrets on his computer. Dan prays for money laundering and fraud, those would be easy to blackmail for.

By midnight there are only a few people left in the gallery, none of which are paying customers so the owner finally decides to close up. It wasn’t a successful night as she had expected. Dan doesn’t think she sold even one piece, save for the one Phil bought, he gathers she won’t be running this gallery for long.

After collecting his things, Dan meets Phil outside. They huddle into a limousine. Phil says he would prefer driving himself but he’s not much of a driver when he’s used to driving on the left side and he doesn’t want to risk trying to drive on the right. Dan doesn’t mind it, this gives him more time to try and charm Phil introducing soft touches, promises that Dan would really like to fulfill if Phil weren’t just another job.

As suits a millionaire, Phil lives on the top floor of a skyscraper. The view catches Dan’s eye at once. New York proves to be extremely gorgeous from up above. Hundreds of twinkling lights, only the moon floating in the darkness cloaking the city, quiet that Dan’s not yet experienced after moving here. It takes Dan’s breath away for a second.

The flat itself is luxurious, bright and stocked with priceless art. More importantly, there’s a white grand piano standing on a platform at the end of the rectangle lounge; Dan’s in love with it instantly. He might have spun some lie webs for Phil but music is one of Dan’s passions. Sometimes he thinks that if he hadn’t gotten into this whole scam business, he might have actually tried to pursue a career in music. But he’s got a job to do so he turns around and smiles at Phil.

“Nice place you’ve got,” he comments leaning on the back of a sofa in the middle of the room.

“You should see my house in LA,” Phil says going to a table where drinks are aligned. “It’s so close to the ocean, you can see the sun set in it,” he throws Dan a smile while pouring them scotch.

“Could I get something else?” Dan asks carefully. He doesn’t want to make Phil suspicious but he also doesn’t want to get drunk and do something stupid, like mix pleasure and work.

“Sorry,” Phil apologises instantly, eyes wide. “I shouldn’t have presumed. Does coffee sound better?”

“Yeah, that would be lovely,” the brunet nods his head and watches as Phil leaves for the kitchen.

Dan should really check Phil’s phone and that tablet forgotten on the sofa for some incriminating material but the piano is more inviting. Leaving his jacket on some chair, he approaches the instrument and runs his fingers over the keys gingerly, not making a sound.  Then he sits down in front of it and plays a few notes softly. It sounds brilliant, of course, unlike that old rickety thing at the gallery. He gets lost for a few minutes and Phil’s hand on his shoulder startles him.

“Did you compose it?” He asks placing a cup of coffee on the piano. Dan wants to remove it immediately in case it tips over and spills but it’s not his place so he just glances worriedly at it.

“Yeah,” the brunet responds. “It’s old though and not really good.”

“I think it’s lovely,” Phil sits next to him, their thighs touch. “You’re too harsh on yourself.”

“You don’t even know me,” Dan says glancing back at the keys and playing a soft tune he knows by heart.

“I know you have impeccable taste in art,” the other replies watching as Dan’s fingers glide over the keys. “I know that even though you pretend to be an easy going sarcastic jackass, you’re actually very emotional, artistic and intelligent. I know you play wonderfully but for some reason don’t want to admit that.”

The music stops as Dan turns his attention to Phil. His real personality is a sore spot for Dan. He’s rather hide behind the personas he creates to fool people and it frightens him that Phil reads him so well. He studies the other for a few seconds then forces a smirk.

“You already got me into your flat, you don’t have to keep complimenting me,” he says and checks the cup of coffee, it’s still there.

“See,” Phil raises an eyebrow. “You’re hiding your real emotions by using jokes.”

Dan has to bite his cheek and count to ten so he wouldn’t start an argument. Is this guy trying to rile Dan up? Or does he analyse all of his potential one-night stands? Well, two can play at that game.

“Why the sudden need to psychoanalyse me?” The brunet asks hiding the bitter tone he so wants to use. “Do you have trust issues?”

At that Phil cracks a smile and Dan’s not pleased. He hoped for the opposite reaction.

“Maybe,” Phil admits shrugging. “But I wasn’t analysing you, just answered your question. You’re not as hard to read as you think.”

“Really?” Now Dan’s amused too. He’s a con artist trying to dig up dirt on rich people so he could blackmail them while Phil thinks he’s a musician trying to leave an imprint on this world. If that’s not secretive then Dan has no idea what is. “What else can you read from me?”

“That you like me,” he grins. “And that you’ve been wanting to kiss me all evening,” he leans in closer, his eyes are on Dan’s lips. “Am I wrong?” Phil whispers casting his glance up.

Dan doesn’t respond as he closes the gap between them. For a moment he thinks he shouldn’t be doing this, it’s against his rules, but then Phil’s fingers are in his hair and his tongue slips into Dan’s mouth making him moan. It’s an extremely uncomfortable position, though, so Dan breaks away and breathes ‘bedroom?’. Phil nods and they get up but Dan only manages to step off the platform when Phil spins him around and plants another kiss on his lips. He’s way taller this way but Dan kind of likes tipping his head up, grabbing Phil’s hips while Phil cups his cheeks and brushes over his cheekbones with his thumbs.

It’s rather blurry after that. Dan’s in sensory overload, he’s on Phil’s bed, they’re both naked. Phil’s biting and licking over Dan’s collarbone as the brunet mewls in pleasure. His fingers find their way into black hair, tugging not so gently. Their lips crash together, moans mingling, hands roaming. It’s glorious, Dan thinks.

Phil dips lower again. Lips brush against Dan’s chest, his ribs, stomach, hipbones, all the while fingers paint patterns on his thigh. Dan lets out a keening moan when Phil mouths at his thigh, going lower, reaching his knee and then going back up again. Biting his lip Dan nearly draws blood and then sighs shakily. His breathing is uneven, skin set alight, and heart is drumming against his ribcage at an alarming rate. Phil seems too composed for his liking, however. So Dan runs his fingertips through the black hair, silently coaxing him up. Acquiescing, the other lifts his head, hovers above him.

Dan admires him for a minute, reaches up, brushes away the fringe. Phil turns his head, his lips meet Dan’s palm. He murmurs something about Dan being stunning, ethereal, divine and some other adjectives Dan doesn’t catch because he’s pushing Phil away and onto his back. He settles on Phil’s thighs, taking control. Raising an eyebrow and smirking, Phil challenges him.

He starts off easily, slowly, building it up. His hips move leisurely as his fingertips trace Phil’s chest. Dan dips down placing kisses on Phil’s neck, brushing over his jaw, lips; teasing him, wanting him to need it more than anything right now, making him tremble with desire. Phil draws on Dan’s back keeping Dan’s slow rhythm. Dan trails his hand over Phil’s ribs, dips it between them. Nipping on his earlobe and quickening the movements of his hips, Dan finally hears his name dripping with sweet pleasure rolling off Phil’s tongue in a gasping breath. He almost smirks but can’t help whining himself which makes Phil shiver.

Hands grip Dan’s hips and it’s suddenly rougher and more erratic. Phil connects their lips, sits up, and then Dan’s on his back again. He hears a breathy ‘roll over’ and complies at once. The uncapping of a bottle, the sound of ripping foil; it makes Dan’s heart beat loud in his ears, nervously anticipating. Phil’s gentle with him, patient, Dan’s grateful for that, it’s been awhile for him. After Dan fervently nods his agreement assuring Phil that he’s ready, Phil sinks into him. Dan’s biting the duvet underneath him and grasping at the sheets. He was wrong before;  _this_  is glorious. The blanket muffles his moans as Phil’s kissing and biting at his shoulders, the nape of his neck, gripping his hips threatening to leave bruises. Phil hits all the right spots and the friction feels unbelievably good. ‘Close’ falls off his lips and Phil stops for some reason, muscles trembling with exertion.

“Wanna do me?” He whispers into Dan’s ear breathily and Dan can almost hear his smirk.

They both giggle and it’s weird when they’re in this position. Not unpleasantly so, however. The laugh reverberates through their bodies making them both moan in unison.

Dan’s not one to pass up an offer like that, though. Phil lies on his back, a pillow under his lower back, their lips connect messily as he whimpers and whines whilst Dan is trying to be as gentle as Phil was with him. As he sinks into him, Dan relishes in the way Phil moans his name: languid, obscene, igniting.

Dan’s slower than Phil. He’s trying to elongate every second, enjoy it, record it in his memory. Phil tries to hurry him: kissing him urgently, bucking his hips fervently. But Dan sets his own pace ignoring Phil’s need to rush it. His hands are in Dan’s hair then his fingertips brush down his spine and when Dan hits the spot, nails rake his back as Phil arches into him, swears leaving his mouth. At this Dan finally gives up his composure and gives into Phil’s wishes by quickening his pace.

He reaches the high first and Phil follows, groaning out a ‘fuck’. Dan’s forgotten how addictive it is. The spiral of pleasure reaches every cell of his body, making him gasp for air, clouding his vision. Complete bliss overtakes his body for a few seconds and he feels all tingly and glowing. The waves ebb away slowly as Dan’s already lying beside Phil, trying and failing to form a coherent thought.

“Have I told you that you’re gorgeous?” Phil asks out of nowhere turning on his side and poking at Dan’s dimple.

“I think your exact words were ‘stunning, ethereal, divine’,” Dan grins wider turning his head to look at Phil.

“Mmm,” Phil hums pushing Dan’s fringe even further up. “All true,” he smiles leaning down and ghosting his lips over Dan’s. Dan doesn’t appreciate the teasing and Phil smiles as Dan’s hand grabs the back of his neck and he kisses Phil hungrily.

“You’re quite wonderful yourself,” Dan admits caught in the moment and he’s rewarded with another kiss. “We should shower,” he mumbles pulling away from Phil and getting back to reality.

“We together or we separately?” Phil asks trailing his lips down Dan’s neck, making him bite his lip and hold back a moan so as not to reveal how sensitive that area really is; he doubts Phil can be trusted with such powerful knowledge.

“We separately,” Dan answers a bit too winded for his own liking as he wriggles away from Phil and his damn perfect mouth. “I’m not standing in the cold waiting for you to wash your hair.”

“Looks like you’ve tried that before,” Phil smirks.

“Oh, you have no idea how many things I’ve tried,” Dan winks at him.

Phil points to the door of his bathroom and Dan turns his back to him receiving a wolf whistle. He flips the other off not turning back and smiles when he hears Phil giggling.

With a towel wrapped around his hips, Dan returns to the room after good ten minutes. Phil’s not in the room and Dan can hear another shower running somewhere in the flat. He takes the time to look around. The bed is a mess: sheets tangled, pillows nearly falling off, the floor is covered in their clothes; a trail leads from the door to the bed. A jacket catches his eye or rather the gold glimmering and stark against the black, Phil’s phone. Dan remembers what he’s here for.

He walks towards the garment and snatches the device. It’s not password protected or anything; Dan shakes his head at Phil’s thoughtlessness. But it’s rather convenient for him. The brunet searches through Phil’s email, looking for something that would strike him as blackmail worthy. He has no such luck, all of it has something or other to do with his numerous companies, not even some forbidden love affair proving letters or conversations about illegal transactions.

“Hey,” Phil startles Dan. He’s standing in the doorframe, in the same state of undress as Dan.

The brunet’s heart hammers in his chest for being caught in the act. However, it’s not his first time so Dan recovers quickly and lies come easily to him.

“Hi,” he smiles softly. “Sorry, thought it was my phone,” he offers Phil the same line he used on so many people before but the hint of guilt is not familiar and rather disturbing.

“No worries,” the other says taking his phone. “Want to borrow some clothes or do you sleep in the nude?” Phil changes the topic looking Dan up and down and smiling slightly, liking the view.

“Only if you sleep in the nude too,” Dan smirks.

Phil laughs and shakes his head; they end up sleeping in pyjama bottoms. Well, at least Phil’s sleeping. Dan, on the other hand, is suffering through a new emotion. He watches Phil breathing evenly in and out, his features illuminated unevenly, shadows cast on his eyes. Dan groans dropping on the pillow and staring at the ceiling instead. He can’t possibly be developing feelings for a person he met not eight hours ago and fucked once. But the gnawing guilt keeps him awake so Dan figures he might be. It’s nonsense, though, he thinks. Phil’s nothing special. Sure, he understands Dan better than anyone after knowing him for all of a few hours, and sure, he makes Dan feel special, and sure, he’s the most fascinating person Dan met in his life, but he’s just another job, another con. Dan doesn’t even believe in those statements himself, though. The brunet bites his lip. Agonising over the morality of what he does is new and unwelcome; he hates this.

Phil mumbles something in his sleep and turns on his side. His arm rests over Dan’s chest and he snuggles closer. Fuck it, Dan thinks as he kisses the top of Phil’s head. He’ll deal with it later.

***

The morning after is not one of Dan’s favourites. It’s always awkward and he can’t escape soon enough. That’s why he rarely even stays or lets his one-night stand stay, usually kicking them out as soon as possible. This time, though, is different.

Dan wakes up slowly, sun warming up his face, dust motes floating in the sun rays coming through huge windows. He yawns and stretches languidly enjoying the feel of silken sheets caressing his skin. Luxury is not new to him but he still can’t get over how soft the mattress is and how he’d rather keep rolling in bed than get up ever again. However, the scent of breakfast makes his stomach aware that Dan hasn’t eaten in a while. It gurgles loudly and Dan groans in response deciding to leave the warm embrace of the sheets and get something to eat.

Stopping in the doorframe of the kitchen, Dan admires the man trying to flip a pancake. He’s got glasses on which Dan finds it extremely attractive. The flipping doesn’t go well, however, and Phil flops the pancake on the floor letting out an adorable screech like noise. Dan giggles and Phil turns to him wide-eyed and red-cheeked, embarrassment written all over his face.

“Just pretend you didn’t see this,” he says quickly, placing the pan back on the stove and screeching some more as he tries to lift the hot pancake off the floor.

Dan comes to help and the pancake successfully lands in the bin. Failing to control himself, the brunet places a quick peck on Phil’s lips murmuring a ‘good morning’.

“Afternoon, actually,” the other answers smiling.

It is indeed, Dan realises as the clock on a wall is showing well past two.

“Have you been up long?” Dan asks watching as Phil resumes the pancake making.

“A few hours,” he shrugs. “Had some emails to send, meetings to rearrange.”

“Right, the boring business stuff,” the brunet trails on noticing a laptop on a table near the window. He debates internally for a few seconds and curses himself for not being able to just leave it all alone. “This reminds me. Could I check my email?” He nods to the MacBook.

“Sure,” Phil throws him a weird glance, as if he’s suspicious of Dan’s intentions and disappointed a bit, and his slight smile looks a bit forced. “There are top secret confidential documents there so try not to post them on the internet or it’ll cost me millions,” he jokes. At least Dan thinks he jokes; though, the intense look he’s giving Dan makes the brunet uneasy. He can’t possibly know, can he? He would’ve thrown Dan out if he knew, surely.

“Don’t worry,” Dan responds challenging Phil’s gaze. “I’ll just check my email, no snooping,” he lifts a corner of his lips in a mock smile.

Phil holds his gaze for a second longer and then his smile becomes genuine. He says an ‘alright’ and tries to flip a pancake again.

Dan sits in front of the laptop calling himself an idiot, in his head, of course. Insider trading, document leaking, selling company secrets; how didn’t he think of that? He doesn’t need dirt on Phil, he just needs to know more about his newest inventions and sell all the plans to his rivals. It’s so brilliantly simple that Dan nearly smacks himself for not coming up with this sooner. And he’s got access to it all right now, he could easily send all the information to himself and then sift through it later finding out what’s worth selling.

There’s another squeak from Phil and Dan turns his head to look at the man. He has successfully flipped a pancake and is smiling all excited. Cracking a smile of his own, Dan trails his eyes down Phil’s body. A hickey has formed on the junction of his shoulder and neck and Dan’s suddenly reminded of last night. He glances back at the screen and chews on his lip tapping nervously on the table with his fingers. Selecting the folder containing various blueprints, he sends it all to himself and closes the laptop already regretting betraying Phil’s trust.

***

Dan decides that he likes Phil too much when it’s been a month and he’s been spending nearly every free minute with him. It’s extremely distracting, hinders his job and creates unnecessary problems. He had to ditch all his other scams and just past week he had to go to two auditions and take up five gigs to play up to this character that he’s presented Phil with. It’s not like Dan doesn’t like it, though. He actually enjoys staying up late composing something while Phil’s drawing up some plans. It feels refreshing to be creating music rather than scheming how to get money out of rich people.

However, it is inconvenient that he has to actually rent a shitty flat somewhere in Queens when one day Phil wants to see where he lives. Dan can’t possibly show him his apartment in Upper East Side which would ruin his image of a poor musician. Luckily, Dan’s good at planning ahead for such things so the shitty and extremely small flat contains Dan’s personal items, his non-designer clothing (which he has to wear every day and doesn’t like much) and a semi-decent piano. After showing it all to Phil, he decides to keep the place just in case even though they spend the majority of their time at Phil’s.

For the first time the lies easily get to Dan and awaken his conscience. The guilt gnaws at his soul every time Phil tells him how amazing Dan is, how he’ll become a great musician one day, how he’s going to be the first to buy a ticket to Dan’s first solo concert. His heart clenches painfully with every gentle touch of Phil’s when they’re having sex, with every innocent peck on his forehead when Phil’s telling him to stop playing and go to sleep, with every fond glance Phil gives him when they’re out and about. But Dan’s in too deep. He can’t confess after a month that he’s been conning Phil this whole time; Phil would never forgive him and now Dan can’t imagine his life without that man.

It all comes crashing down when Phil asks him to go back with him to London. Dan can’t explain that he once conned a mobster out of nearly a million which is why he ran to New York and has been hiding here for the past three years and that he can’t return to London because they’ll find him and most likely kill him after a few days of torture. So they fight and Dan storms off not wanting to deal with it.

He’s bitterly sipping his coffee in a Starbucks on the 7th avenue, waiting for his one and only friend. Jasmine is not the person to talk to about these things but Dan’s got no one else.

“Hello, darling,” she greets him with a peck on the cheek and sits in front of him. “Haven’t seen you in a while. Busy with your new boy?” She smirks. During one of the hottest New York summers Jasmine’s wearing a white dress, stark against her dark skin. She’s also got her hair dyed silver which makes her look even more celestial.

“Yeah, kind of,” Dan answers casting his glance down and picking on the cardboard of his cup. “We got into a fight, actually,” he admits silently.

“Into a fight?” Jasmine asks suspiciously. “You don’t get into fights with your targets. You make them feel happy so they wouldn’t associate anything negative with you.”

“I know, I know,” the brunet rolls his eyes. “It got complicated,” he mumbles and sips at his coffee avoiding her disapproving gaze.

“Dan,” she says with a reproachful tone. “Don’t say that you fell for the guy.”

“I didn’t mean to,” he near whines. “I totally had it all planned, I even got useful info from his laptop to sell. I showed it to Jared and he said it’s worth a nice sum.”

“And your boy, of course, has no idea about where you get your money from,” she reclines in the chair and crosses her arms.

“Yeah, sure he does, right after we met I just told him that that I leech money from people and enjoy pulling off successful cons,” Dan huffs annoyed.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Jasmine shrugs not offering much consolation; realistically, Dan shouldn’t have expected more.

“Thanks, that’s really helpful,” he retorts irately.

“No, I mean it,” she says. “You have to tell him the truth if you actually want this relationship.”

Dan runs a hand through his hair and then taps nervously on the table glancing out the window. The city is as busy as it gets even during a heat wave. People in suits rush past talking on their phones, tourists are taking pictures of everything and anything, pickpockets are searching for their next victim. The sun is glaringly bright, there’s not a cloud in the sky.

“I do have to, don’t I?” He gnaws on his lip turning back to Jasmine.

“I’m afraid so.”

“He’ll kill me.”

“Not unless he calls the cops on you,” she smirks and Dan glares daggers at her.

***

Admittedly, Dan doesn’t really have to tell Phil anything. After a month he’s going back to London and Dan doesn’t have to see him again if he so decides. However, the actual physical pain he feels just thinking about that convinces him it’s worth a shot. And Phil might break up with him, he might not want to see Dan again, but maybe he’d consider taking him back if Dan cleaned up his act. He’s survived a month without the need of adrenalin when scamming people, he should be able to survive longer. Undeniably, that’s the worst plan Dan had come up with in his life, too many variables and unknowns, though that’s the only option he’s got.

All the way back he’s rehearsing what he’ll say. Nothing he comes up with seems good enough and he gets nervous jitters as he steps onto the lift. He groans at the stupidity of the situation and himself for not being able to control his feelings and being so smitten with a guy he met a month ago and thinks about bailing. But the lift dings before he knows it and he’s stepping into Phil’s flat.

“Hey,” Phil says rounding the corner of the hall as if he’s been waiting there the whole time, though it’s more likely that the doorman informed him about Dan’s arrival. He leans on the wall crossing his arms after sliding his glasses back up his nose.

“Hi,” Dan responds softly. Phil’s still only in a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, just like Dan left him this morning.

“I’m sorry,” they both say at the same time and smile at each other. Dan waves for him to go first.

“I shouldn’t have asked for you to go back when I don’t know why you left,” Phil glances down studying the floor then looks back up. “I just really can’t imagine not having you by my side anymore.” Dan grins at that, Phil slightly misinterprets it. “Sorry, it’s cheesy and lame but true,” he shrugs a shoulder.

“No,” Dan shakes his head. “I’ve been thinking the same.”

A smile lights up Phil’s face and Dan closes the distance between them, hugging Phil tightly and hiding his face in the other’s neck. He thinks about telling the truth now but doesn’t want to ruin the moment so, against better judgement, he stays silent.

***

It’s a little after two a.m. and Dan’s still playing. Phil requested some of his favourite songs and Dan was more than happy to oblige; that was an hour ago. Now they’re sitting in front of the piano, Phil’s head is on Dan’s shoulder, he has his eyes closed and hums softly accompanying Dan’s tune. Unfamiliar warmth and calmness spreads through Dan’s body, the sense of being completely content in this moment makes him smile; Dan thinks this is how happiness must feel like.

They get interrupted by the buzzing of Phil’s phone. The man groans and leaves Dan in order to see who’s calling him so late. A dozen or so more messages arrive before Phil puts his phone on silent and reads through them all.

“Crisis at the office?” Dan asks with a smirk only half-joking and turning to Phil. A similar thing happened last week and Phil had to rush out in the middle of the night, leaving Dan pouting and unsatisfied.

Phil actually glares at him, his jaw clenched and his fingers nearly crush the blinking phone. Smile disappearing off his face, Dan ceases playing.

“I can’t believe you actually did it,” Phil snarls at Dan throwing the phone on the sofa forcefully. Dan’s not yet seen him angry and apparently he’s about to experience furious Phil.

“What did I do?” Dan asks carefully, he tries to stay calm but his heart is hammering in his chest.

“What did you do?!” Phil shouts at him throwing his hands in the air. “I fucking trusted you, I thought you were actually interested in me and wouldn’t stoop so low.”

“I still have no idea what you’re talking about,” the brunet furrows his brows.

“You fucking sold my blueprints, that’s what I’m talking about,” he spits out bitterly, revulsion clear on his face.

Dan’s eyes widen at the accusation, he has to take a couple seconds to digest the information.

“Phil, I did not do that,” he tries to defend himself.

“The fuck you didn’t,” Phil looks him up and down without any sign of former affection. “That’s the only reason you started dating me. Yeah, I know,” he smirks smugly, coldly, seeing the realisation on Dan’s face. “I’ve known all along. I thought I wasn’t just another one of your cons. Guess, I was too naïve. But you prey on such people, right?” He lifts an eyebrow, lips curled in disgust.

“You’ve known,” is all Dan manages to whisper. This would be great news on another occasion and Dan would be able to forget all about his guilt but in this situation it makes him look even more suitable for what Phil’s accusing him of.

“I’m not an idiot, Dan,” Phil huffs. “Do you think I got to where I am by trusting every stranger I meet?” He barks out a humourless laugh. “I had my people check you after that first night. After I read the file, I was ready to throw you out but that night that we spent together…” He bites his lip and shakes his head, whether more disappointed in himself or in Dan, the brunet can’t quite tell. “I really thought you weren’t scamming me. And I was fine waiting till you confess it all, I saw how it tore you apart. Well, probably I thought I saw that.”

“No, I really wanted to tell you hundreds of times –” Dan tries before Phil interrupts him.

“Stop with the lies,” he sighs so softly, closing his eyes and taking off his glasses to rub at his eyes. “Leave, we’re done,” Phil turns away snatching his phone off the sofa.

“No, I want to explain,” Dan insists stepping off the piano platform and coming near Phil. He touches his shoulder and feels a pang of hurt when Phil immediately backs away from him.

“Did you not copy the blueprints from my laptop?” Phil asks emotionless, tired.

The brunet bites the inside of his cheek, his fingers nervously tap on his thigh.

“It was a moment of weakness,” he admits casting his eyes down.

“And then you had another such moment and sold it to my rivals?” Phil wonders, tone light; it scares Dan more than the furious one. “Old habits die hard, right?”

“No, no,” the brunet shakes his head fervently. “I did not sell them.”

“Oh, please,” Phil rolls his eyes. “You’re the only one besides me who had a copy. Do you think such confidential information is easily accessible?”

“Yes, I copied it but I did not sell it,” Dan says desperately, panic setting in. “I would never risk ruining what we have for that. You have to trust me.”

“What I have to do is deal with this,” he shows Dan the phone which is still blinking with incoming messages. “Do you even realise how much money this cost me? I will lose all my partners and I can forget about my company becoming international. I worked my ass off for ten years to build my own business. And you ruined it all. Thanks for that, you can leave now,” he points to the lift.

“What if I prove I didn’t do it?” Dan asks suddenly, hope sprouting in his chest. “What if I find who sold it?”

Phil looks at him a moment wanting to believe what he says. But how can he trust a person who lies for a living? Whose schemes include renting a flat, taking up odd jobs, pretending to be what he isn’t just for the thrill? No matter how Phil actually feels about him, he has to use his logic and cut him out of his life before Dan ruins it completely.

“Do what you want,” he shrugs, feigning disinterest when in reality his heart is being ripped apart with pain. “I have enough problems as it is,” he turns away and Dan’s crushed with the realisation that Phil doesn’t care at all.

New York is gorgeous at night only from above, Dan thinks as he treks back to his flat. The hundreds of effervescent lights, the dark vastness of space above, the pale and sharp crescent of the moon are what lure people into climbing onto rooftops and admiring it all, thinking of the city as a magical place where dreams come true. Dan used to believe the same. However, walking through the barely illuminated alleys filled with trash is less charming. It makes Dan contemplate the less delightful aspects of life. Phil would tell him that even on the worst days there’s a possibility for joy and he shouldn’t give up this easily. Right now he finds it hard to believe this. But by then he’s back on the main road and streetlamps set his path alight, providing a warm orange glow. A decision forms in his mind. Dan might not be able to get Phil back but he be damned if he does not try.


End file.
